Traffic-line toy



Jan. 25, 1938.

: TRAFFIC LINE 'IIOY Filed Jan. 25, 1957 T 2 Sheets-She et 1 G. EINFALT'. 2,106,424

Jan. 25, 1938. G, -EMFALT 2,106,424

- TRAFFIC LINE TOY Filed Jan. 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Patented Jan. 25, 1938 UNITED- STATES.

PATENT 'OFFICE mama-mm TOY Georg Einfalt, Nuremberg, Germany Application January 25, 1937, Serial uafizacfi 4 claim. -(01. 246-117) This invention relates to a toy representing a tramc line, the main object of the invention being to demonstrate to a child the modern arrangementsof trafiic control at crossing points of the roads, by means of differently coloured light signals, in such a manner that the child can con-' trol the traffic at will, viz., the stopping and starting pf the vehicles on the tramc line by the simultaneous change-over of the differently coloured lights. This object is attained by means of a rail track of any desired shape, at the crossing point of which there is provided a trafiic controlling light comprising electric lamps fed by a dry battery and mounted in a suitable enclosure provided with differently coloured windows, a suitable change-over switch being used for switching over the lights from one direction of control to the other, the said change-over switch being mechanically operated by connecting means provided between it and means arranged along the track, and adapted to bring a travelling car to a standstill or allow it to pass.

The mechanism preferably comprises a disc arranged centrally at the crossing point and piv-' otally connected by means of bars with platforms arranged in the middle of the track, opposite corresponding openings formed therein, and adapted to be sunk with respect to the surface of the road or be raised so as to be flush therewith, when the said disc is mechanically turned from a point of control, the said disc being also adaptedto operate the change-over switch. The various connections are such that when the disc is in one position, the two platforms arranged along the one track are sunk, so that 'the cars thereon are brought to a standstill and the light controlled by the switch shows red (stop) along this track, whilst the platform along the other track crossing wimhe first one are flush with 4o thesurface of the track and the cars can proceed along it, the light controlled by the switch showing green (go) along this track. With the interconnecting disc in the other position, the positions of all the platforms and colours of light 45' are reversed along the two crossing tracks.

I 60 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a traflic line in the form of an 8;

Figure 21s an enlarged plan view of the crossing portion'of the line;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectionof the track;

55 Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section along on the cross-member l.

mast 3 is in position, two spring contacts II and 35 the portion ofthe track containing a displaceable platform with a car standing over it;

Figures 5 and 6 show in plan view and elevation respectively the part of the traflicaline from which the traflic is controlled and '5 Figure? is a perspective view .ofthe mast sup porting the control lights within a lantern shown in section.

. The actual B-shaped traffic-line is constituted by a cross-member l and the two arcuated tracks 10 2, the whole being built up of sections joined together at a. As will be seen from Figure 3, the track has a special profile, being made hollow underneath for the accommodation of the operating mechanism. 3 is a mast carrying the lantern 4 of the control lights and adapted to be removably attached to the cross-member I, in

such a manner that the four sides of the lantern, each provided with a greenand red window, face the four directions of the trackrespectively. 5 is a rotary disc, pivoted underneath the crossmember I, being mechanically connected to the displaceable platforms and adapted to effect the change-over from one light control to theother.

For this purpose, the one end 6 of the movable I contact of the switch, which receives current I! provided at its lower end make contact with the said fixed contacts H and I2 respectively, and by means of wires H" and I II" the current is led to the one terminal of the glow lamps l3 and M respectively; the current, after passingthrough 40 the lamp to its other terminal, retumsfto the other end of the battery which, like the one end of the lamps l3 and II, is connected to the metal frame of the toy. The lantern 4 is divided by a partition I5 into two compartmentslying one above the other and respectively accommodating the glow lamps l3 and Hi.

The four sides of the lower compartment of the lantern 4 are provided with coloured windows It, and similarly, the. upper compartment with coloured window H. In each compartment two opposite windows are green and the other two opposite ones red but the colours are displaced in the lower compartment as compared with the upper one, viz., whenever there is a red V window in one lantern side of the upper compartment,.there is a green one in the same side of the lower compartment, and vice versa.

The means for actuating the rotary disc 5 and the mechanical connection between the latter lug l8 and engages loosely in a hole in the pivoted member I8. The disc 5 is also linked with the platforms 23, 24 by means of bars 2| and 22 respectively, the platforms being so mounted underneath the track opposite elongated rectangular recesses in the track, that, when the disc is turned in one direction under the control of the actuating member I8, two of the platforms,

in alignment along the track, say' the platforms 23, will come to lie near the surface of the track and the other two, say 24, will be caused to drop, so as to lie below its surface, and vice versa, when the member I3 is actuated so as to turn the disc 5 in the opposite direction, the platforms 24 being then raised near the surface of the track and the platforms 23 caused to drop. When the rotary disc is in the first position, the switch connected therewith causes the green windows, facing the track containing the raised platforms 23, and thered ones, facing the track containing the dropped platforms 24, to light up, and vice versa when the disc 5 is in the second position,- the red windows, facing the track containing the dropped platforms 23, and the green windows, facing the track containing the raised platforms 24, will light up along these tracks respectively.

The raising and dropping of the platforms is ensured by the following construction (see F18- ure 4) The longitudinal walls 25 formed on the sides of the rectangular recess in the track facing the platform are bent in at the ends 26, thereby forming sliding bearing surfaces for the platform which has side walls 21 partly cut away at 23 in such a manner that the walls 21 merge gradually into 28 by the inclined portions 28'. When the disc 3 is in one position two of the platforms in one alignment rest with their side walls 21 on the bent-in ends 28 of the longitudinal walls 25 so that these-platforms are in their raised position, whilst the other two in the other alignment, crossing the first one, rest withtheir cut-away portions 28 on the said ends 26 of the longitudinal walls, so that these platforms are in their dropped position.

Use may be made ,of any suitable vehicle toy in combination with the track hereinbefore de-' scribed, preferably of a spring-driven motor car provided with a suitable clockwork mechanism.

It is, however, necessary to provide the vehicle with means which will stop the working of the clockwork mechanism when the vehicle comes over a platform facing a red light and is thus in a dropped position.

Figure-i shows over the platform 29 provided with a 010 ork mechanism 30 of any well known const ction. On an intermediate spindle 3| of his mechanism there is a a vehicle mounted a two-arm control lever, one arm 32 'of' which, a long one, comes to lie over the longitudinal axis of the platform- 24, whilst a shorter arm 33 is provided with a other intermediate shaft of the clockwork mechanism. When the car is runningalong the track,

the arm 32 slides along its surface and also along ment with the toothed ,wheel 35 and the clockwork mechanism 'to stop, whereby the car is brought to a standstill. This corresponds, of course, to a red indication of the light, since such an indication corresponds to that position of the platform in which the same lies below the surface of the track. As soon as the disc 5 is turned under the control of the member 8, so that the light is changed to green and, simultaneously therewith, the platform is raised to the surface of the track, the arm 32 is also raised, and the toothed'wheel 35 is disengaged by the projection 34 of the arm 33, so that the clockwork mechanism is again put into operation, with the result that the car starts running again along the track.

projection :4 which' engages with the toothed wheel mounted on an- It is to be understood that the details for carrying the invention into effect may be modified in various respects, such as by using a difl'erent track than one in the form of an 8, a different mechanism on the car operated by the raising and dropping of the platform, more than two 1. A toy traflic-line comprising two tracks crossing each other at a crossing point and having on each side of the crossing point a recess elongated in the longitudinal direction of the track, in combination with signalling means indicating that the traflic along one track is free to move and along the other one that it has to stop, an automatically driven vehicle on the tracks, sliding elongated platforms capable of bringing the said vehicle to a stop, said sliding -elongated platforms corresponding to and filling the elongated recesses in the track and being capable of dropping below the surface of the track, whereby the recesses areexposed, means for simultaneously operating the elongated platforms, so that on one track the said platforms will not interfere with the running of the vehicle and on the other track they will bring it to a stop, and for simultaneously operating the signalling means which indicate that along the one track the vehicle is free to move and along theother track that it has to stop; means on the track which are normally operative to maintain the said platforms inoperative, except when the vehicle passes over an exposed recess, and a stop mechanism on the vehicle with which the sliding platforms are adapted to co-operate to prevent or permit its operation.

2. A toy trafllc-line as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for operating the said platforms comprise a rotary disc arranged underneaththe crossing point of the tracks, an actuating member, a bar linked to the actuating member and to the said rotary disc, and bars linked to the rotary disc and each one of the said platforms.

3. A toy traflic-line as claimed in claim 1, in V linked to the rotary disc and each one of the said platforms, and in which the signalling means comprise a lantern of square cross-section having two separate compartments, one

above the other, an electric glow lamp in each compartment, windows of one colour on two opposite sides oi each compartment'and windows of another colour on the other two opposite sides thereof, the colour of each 0! the windows in the lower compartment being diiierent irom that of the window above it in the upper compartment of the lantern, an electric battery connected to the lamps in the said two compartments of the lantern and a change-over switch adapted to be operated by the said rotary disc;

in which the operating mechanism for the vehicle consists of a clockwork mechanism and a two-armed lever interposed in the said clock work mechanism in such a manner that one arm thereof hangs down and rests by its weight on the track in alignment with said recesses, and its other arm lies in the proximity oi a toothed wheel of the clockwork mechanism, whereby upon the vehicle coming over a dropped platform along the track, the arm oi the two-armed lever resting onthe track will drop on the said platform owing to its weight, and theuother arm will come into engagement with the toothed wheel in its proximity, thereby stopping the clockwork mechanism and the running of the vehicle.

A GEORG EINFALT.

3 H 4. A toy traiilc-line as claimed in claiml and. 

